Goodnight Irene.
The name Irene has been rolling a lot this weekend, started by our class rendition of "Goodnight Irene."
I am thinking about a project that combines the elements of the hurricane and the tumultuous relationship described in the song, "Sometimes I have a great notion/To jump into the river and drown..I wished to God I'd never seen your face/I's sorry you ever was born."
When we sang this song in class, I was struck by how many people knew this song; I think some people even mentioned how their mothers/grandmothers sang this song to them when they were younger.
Coming from an immigrant background, I recognize that these folk songs we will explore in this class is not part of my upbringing. My parents would sing songs about three wheeled carts as lullabies. I grew up listening to Taiwanese music: ranging from mellow ballads or our version of folk song ("Rainy Day").
In fact, one of the words in "I Ride an Old Paint" refers to coolies ("They feed in the coolies, they water in the draw"), which is a historical term for manual labor from Asia, my ancestors! But the great thing about America is our diversity--my membership in both American and Chinese/Taiwanese culture is not mutually exclusive.
I think this class will be really interesting for me to explore the folk songs of my adopted country, part of a culture I know only as historical facts. I have no personal/historical connection with slavery or Cowboy/Indian culture but these songs is a spiritual connection with the participants of history.
Another thought of our class session, my contribution for our mother-feeling-hugged project was in contrast to everybody else's way more nuanced, abstract work. I think as we go forward in the class, my pieces should be less literal, less obvious.
Favorite version of "Goodnight Irene": Weavers
Edit: We are actually doing a project on "You are My Sunshine!"
haha! "Coolie" actually means something else...
ReplyDeletefrom the MUDCAT website
These are terrain features; it means that dogies will run around anywhere they can to get water while on the trail. A draw is a widening rift between higher hills or mesas (cf "Ghost Riders" riding down a cloudy draw). I always thought a cooly was a corruption of an Irish word meaning a small dry creekbed or some such, but I cannot find any reference for it now.
Usually spelled coulee- Canadian French, a small stream or ravine, often dry in thedry season.
From the French word couler, to flow. Brought into the western and northern states by trappers and mountain men and later picked up by cowboys who drove herds to the Dakotas and western Canada.
Coulee is indeed a ravine or a gultch. Grand Coulee was a large one on the Columbia River in Washington State where the Grand Coulee Dam was placed--and about which Woody Guthrie wrote at least one song.